Ban on pub food contests may need to become law

A BAN on eating competitions in bars where people are drinking alcohol and taking part in food challenges might need to become law.

Paul Money, chairman of PubWatch, said it could need legislation to outlaw eating games in bars to prevent further deaths.

His warning came in the wake of an inquest into the death of Sharon Dixon, who choked on a hard-boiled egg.

She was taking part in The Egg Olympics at The Wellington Arms on April 1.

The coroner in the inquest, Paul Kelly, recommended an end to eating competitions in bars where drinking is also involved.

PubWatch represents bars in Cleethorpes and Grimsby and Mr Money said he would raise the matter at the next meeting of licensees later this month.

He said: "It is one of those things that is very tragic. But where do you draw the line? People enter these things at their own risk.

"I don't know what could be done to stop it. It might need legislation.

"We don't do anything like it, but there are a few who do.

"These eating competitions all stem from TV programmes. Since Man v Food came on the TV, people have jumped on the bandwagon.

"It needs looking at to make them safer."

Last month a man died in Australia in a pie-eating competition which was held during half-time at a televised football match in Townsville, Queensland.

An inquest will be held later into the death of the 64-year-old, who collapsed during the competition on July 19.

Owner of The Barge, on Riverhead, Grimsby, Derrick Howard, who hosted several Man v Food challenges, halted the eating competitions in February this year, three months before the tragedy at The Wellington Arms.

He regularly held competitions, including Surface Of The Sun Wings, A Metre-Long Sausage Challenge and A Chilli Dog Challenge.

He said: "We stopped them in February. Not that it was going to turn negative, we just stopped having them.

"When we had them we always had medical staff on standby. I was always conscious of that sort of event happening. It was a case of having a social conscience."

Co-owner of Smokey Joe's American Diner, in Eastgate, Louth, John Shields said: "I don't agree with competitions. We have only had 22 people complete our Man v Food challenge to eat four half-pound chilli burgers, and 2,500 have attempted it.

"It is not a competition. People pre-book. It is not a spur of the moment thing. We keep an eye on them the whole time."